There have been widely used systems and methods for providing a benefit when content, such as an advertisement, is viewed. For example, there has been developed and used an advertising system and method for providing a bonus to a user based on the time during which advertising content provided to a user terminal is viewed. However, this system has a problem in that the advertising effect thereof cannot be trusted because it cannot be determined whether a user has actually viewed the advertising content. As an invention for solving the above problem, Korean Patent No. 10-1061952 (registered on Aug. 29, 2011) entitled “Advertisement Reward System and Method for Checking Viewing of Real-time Advertisement of User and Providing Reward” is disclosed.
The patented invention is directed to an advertisement reward system and method that, in order to check whether a user who is viewing an advertisement is actually viewing the advertisement, determines the user to be a user who is actually viewing the advertisement when the former user inputs a real-time response corresponding to an instruction within a limited period of time and provides a reward to the user. The patented invention is configured to include: means for defining the type of reward; means for defining an instruction; means for defining a limited period of time for input; means for defining a valid response; means for generating interface information for displaying an interface window; means for transmitting the interface information while advertisement data is being transmitted to a user terminal, means for, when a user inputs response data after the user terminal displays the interface information in an interface window, receiving response information from the user terminal and storing a total participation count and a valid response count for each user; and means for accumulating a reward corresponding to the type of reward for a user who has made a valid response corresponding to the instruction within the limited period of time. This invention is characterized in that the limited period of time is set such that only a user who is actually immersed in the viewing of an advertisement with continuity and concentration can respond to an instruction to request a predetermined response in order to check whether a user is actually viewing an advertisement. This invention is characterized in that a sincere viewer is assumed to submit a valid response within the limited period of time, the user is considered to be a valid viewer, and a predetermined reward is provided to the valid viewer.
According to the patented invention, an advertising server generates and stores interface information regarding an advertisement or generates interface information in real time in response to a request for an advertisement and transmits the interface information to a user terminal via which the a user is viewing an advertisement, and the user terminal displays the received interface information in an interface window. When the advertisement is a moving image, a problem arises in that the load of a network is increased because interface information containing a large amount of data is transmitted to the user terminal in real time in the state in which a heavy load has occurred in the network due to the provision of Internet streaming. Furthermore, a problem arises in that the load of a network is increased because the response data of the user based on the instruction is transmitted from the user terminal to the advertising server in real time.
Furthermore, it is necessary to understand and respond to the instruction within the limited period of time during the viewing of the advertisement, and thus the user focuses his or her eyes on the interface window in order to enter a correct response when the interface information is displayed on the interface window. Accordingly, a problem arises in that the user is obstructed in the concentrated viewing of the advertisement.
Therefore, there is a need for an invention regarding a system and method for checking the viewing of content, which do not increase the load of a network and do not detract from concentration on the viewing of an advertisement.